This invention generally relates to machine diagnostics and repair and more particularly to a method and system for monitoring the resolution of malfunctions or breakdowns of machines, such as locomotives, once a diagnosis has been given to ensure that the malfunction or breakdown is properly repaired.
A locomotive is one example of a complex electromechanical system comprising a plurality of complex systems and subsystems. Many if not all of these systems and subsystems are manufactured from components that will fail over time. The operational parameters of a locomotive system or subsystem are frequently monitored during operation of the locomotive to detect potential failures. If a failure condition or a set of failure conditions is detected then a service technician may conduct a diagnostics examination of the failure conditions and make a recommendation for fixing the problem. Considering the complexity of locomotive systems and subsystems it is sometimes difficult to precisely identify a failed component or other cause of the failure conditions. This may be because the effects or problems that the failure has on the system or subsystem are often neither readily apparent in terms of their source nor unique. Sometimes the recommended fix for a problem may not resolve the problem due to the complexity of the problem and/or diagnostic efforts. With some components this is not a significant issue. For example, if a component has binary functionality in that it either works properly or it doesn't, such as a mechanical or electrical switch, then diagnosing, recommending a fix and determining that the fix corrected the problem is typically not too difficult. However, with more complex problems, conducting a diagnosis and recommending a proper fix may be more difficult. An improper diagnosis and/or recommended fix instruction may lead to the inefficient operation or underutilization of a locomotive or fleet of locomotives. This is turn may cause an economic loss to the locomotive or fleet operator, which the operator would rather avoid.
Diagnosing failure conditions associated with complex machines, such as systems and subsystems of a locomotive, may be performed by experienced personnel who have in-depth training and experience in working with a particular type of machine. Typically, these experienced individuals may use current and historical information associated with a problem that has been recorded in a written or electronic log. Using this information the technicians apply their accumulated experience, knowledge and training in mapping incidents occurring in a complex system and/or subsystem to problems that may be causing the incidents. Computer-based systems are also used to automatically diagnose problems in a machine to overcome some of the disadvantages associated with relying completely on experienced personnel. This may increase the speed and consistency of the diagnosis. Computer-based systems are becoming more popular and may utilize a mapping between the observed failure conditions and the equipment problems using techniques such as look up tables, symptom-problem matrices, and/or production rules, for example. These techniques work well for simplified systems having simple mappings between symptoms and problems. However, more complex equipment and process diagnostics seldom have such simple correspondences. Consequently, recommended fix instructions may be made that do not solve a problem immediately or completely. This may not be determined for sometime after the fix was executed if monitoring the consequences of an executed fix is predominantly performed manually. Not determining expeditiously that an executed fix instruction did not work may lead to recommending the same improper fix when that problem is next identified.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an automated method and system for monitoring the resolution of problems associated with a machine, such as a locomotive, and verifying that an executed fix instruction has resolved that problem. Monitoring and expeditiously verifying the resolution of problems with a locomotive's systems and/or subsystems is advantageous because this ability may minimize overall locomotive downtime leading to a significant cost savings for the operator of the locomotive or a fleet of locomotives.